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Bookish

In the past few weeks I’ve been going around various bookshops looking for food writing books. I was looking for “Will Write for Food” by Dianne Jacob, some Ruth Reichl books and Doreen Fernandez’s “Tikim: Essays on Philippine Food and Culture”. No success for Dianne’s book or for Ms. Doreen’s, but I did find Ruth Reichl’s. Sadly, my budget could not accommodate any of these books, so I had to pass them up and pray that I can purchase them the next time I come by.

Why food books? Particularly, the ones that deal with food writing and not about cooking? Well, one of the things I like to write about is food. My family loves to eat, and while I’d probably never end up writing a memoir or review of every place I go to, I want to be able to write more than “It’s delicious” or “It’s so good” or “Must try!” when I do get the urge to say something about my latest eat. I mean, while we do get what the author wants to say, we do want to hear something more exciting right?

Right. So much like when I consulted a book as I was learning to write a script (which got me a nice 1.0 whoohoo), I wanted to read about writers who write about food. But like I said, many books are quite beyond my budget so I have to pass up many an opportunity to buy them.

Today, I decided to pass by one of the Booksale branches I always visit when I’m in the Cubao/Araneta area. I wasn’t planning to buy anything, but I can never really pass up the chance to get something, especially when I know it’s a really good book.

I do love Booksale, however. I mean, I did write a whole post about it, and a good chunk of my great finds are Booksale rescues. However, finding a food writing related book was difficult, but if there’s one thing I learned when browsing in these secondhand book shops, it’s to always be prepared.

Perfect example. Today, I got Julie Powell’s “Julie and Julia”, Ruth Reichl’s “Comfort Me with Apples” and Eckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth” (Mama’s “must read” book since a few years ago). Those weren’t the only ones that I wanted though, but in consideration for the amount of money I had in my wallet, I had to stop with those three. Still, I was very happy with my picks and cannot wait to start reading.

Today's surprise purchases

Surpisingly, I now have a “to be read” pile. I never really had one because it has always been my habit to read my books as soon as I purchase them. I’d devour each one, often times staying up late just because I wanted to finish it. Now, I guess I’ve mellowed. I don’t automatically sit down to read them. Sometimes, it takes a while for me to start it. Sometimes it takes longer for me to finish it. Somewhat frustrating, but I’m getting used to it.

Oh, and in an unrelated vein, I saw Sucker Punch today. Visually appealing, soundtrack was good. Storywise… did I mention that I liked the soundtrack? :p